Casita Tica

We moved into our new house almost two weeks ago!  It has been a fun experience living in a more traditional Tico house.  As you can see from the pictures, it is fairly small (maybe 900 square feet, which is actually pretty big by CR standards) and is a lot more open than our other house.  The front door opens to a living area which is connected to the dining and kitchen area.  Behind the kitchen is a laundry-type room that just has half-walls and then chain-link fence up to the tin roof.  The right side of the house is comprised of a bathroom and three bedrooms. 

The bugs always have access to the house, and we've certainly seen plenty :).  I even had a bat fly through one night while I was up on the computer. 

Only two rooms have beds, so our sleeping arrangement varies.  Fortunately, the queen bed is firmer than in the Casa Grande, so J can sleep a bit better.  Unfortunately, L always wants to sleep with J so J deals with a tornado and piece of burning coal all night long.  If I don't want to sleep the with spiders on the ceiling near the top bunk in the kids' room, I sleep on my side on the other side of the coal-tornado. 

While we have to deal with lots of roach poo in our kitchen drawers, the upsides are that we are closer to the school and don't have to traipse through the mud everyday, that the house is more open and airy, that the bathroom/bathroom doesn't reek of sewage fumes from an improperly installed sewage line, and that the kids really like to play in the yard and laundry area.  There is also a papaya tree right of the laundry steps, and throughout the yard are several lime and banana trees. 

Hosting people is a bit different as we don't have as much seating or cooking utensils/dinnerware.  Two new families arrived about the time we moved -- another family from Texas and one from Holland -- and we had the TX kids over to play this week and the European family over for dinner.  Everything worked out well, and we've enjoyed getting to know these new people with hearts to serve the Lord while we get to know our new house. 

Our last beautiful view from La Casa Grande. 
Good-bye sewage smelling house!!

Love this bush!  Avocado tree behind.

This side of the house is where the kids played all the time.
It's also where the robbers broke in.

Studying at the new house.  As you can see, we have a Tico
sized refrigerator.

The kids are in their red, white, and blue for the fourth of July.

Since all the animals in CR wake up around 4 am, our kiddos still rise early.
Some days they do their American work before Spanish school, as is the case
in this picture.

Our kitchen -- so glad to have tile that can be sanitized.  The wooden
counters in the other house were hard to clean!
The stove is hooked up to a gas can (i.e. for a grill), but it's not pictured.

El cuarto de pilas.



The view from our kitchen.  As is typical, the back part of the house is half wall/half chain link. 

And there's the living room.  Add a few bedrooms on the left side,
and that's the house.

Missionaries

We have been so blessed to meet so many mission-minded families.  Most all the families attending school are here preparing to be sent to the mission field.  One family just left for Peru to work at a Samaritan's Purse hospital, and another family just left to start a hospital to ministry to malnourished children in Guatemala.  If I have blogged about them before, forgive me.  Their sacrifice is definitely worth mentioning again.  How awesome to take your families to serve in such a way!!

This last weekend, we spent some time with another mission family.  We'd met them at the pool in La Suiza (which means Switzerland -- the next pueblito up from La Suiza is Canada -- interesting, right?) a month or so ago and spent a Saturday doing an orphan outreach with them a few weeks later.  We had them to our new house for a cafecito and some playtime before trying out the one and only restaurant in Tuis, Rancho Monteverde. 

L and the girls SO enjoyed the time with the missionary kiddos.  There are FIVE boys in the family, and they are every bit as rambunctious and full of life as our children.  It was so fun to see them laughing and playing and being rowdy (and spending time with parents of similar children). 

J and I also relished the time visiting with these people who left life in Louisiana behind to serve God.  Their vision to minister to the people, particularly the indigenous, of CR is absolutely amazing.  They are doing so much to really impact people's lives -- working with orphans, bringing in medical teams, teaching women to sew, providing blankets and necessities to trafficking safe-houses and hospitals, etc.  The dreams God has given them are so BIG and WONDERFUL, too, and we can't wait to see how our faithful God brings these dreams to fruition. 

We were blessed to have this time with this family.  Hopefully we'll have another chance to visit with, and maybe minister with, them once again before we leave. 


Praying over the family headed to Peru.

We took this picture on our vacation to Arenal with the family headed to Guatemala.

 

Mac 'n cheese picnic with some kiddos who
will grow up on the mission field.

The River Won

Last weekend we decided to hike up our mountain and make the trek back down through the river.  Despite some initial resistance and a little attitude adjustment, we made it to the top and started our descent.  The last time we'd been to this particular river was our second weekend in Costa Rica; this time, the river and its pools were much deeper than before because of the change from dry to rainy season.  The prospect of more water encounters was exciting to some and provoked more apprehension in others (namely one).  After getting accustomed to the cool temperature of the water and taking time to appreciate the beautiful water at the beginning pool, we started to navigate southward.  J led the way, machete in hand, the kids followed, and I took the rear.  All kept their eyes peeled on the overhanging plants and lush vegetation on the banks for eyelash vipers and bushmasters while carefully overstepping slippery rocks and trying to maintain balance. 

The trip was a great time to work together as a family -- everyone had to follow directions, help their neighbor, and look out for everyone's safety. 

During our hike down, we crawled down rocky declines, slid down a natural rock slide (for real -- just like in the movies!), and jumped into pools.  We saw gorgeous butterflies and flowers and discovered that large freshwater crabs inhabit the pools.  A few times we had to circumvent the river and cling to grass as we maneuvered across steep hills of mud, but overall, we had a fabulous time.

The very last waterfall was really amazing but too high to risk jumping into.  We opted to trek through the grass until we again reached the road leading back to our house.

When we got close to the road, J turned around to face me and commented on how successful and fun our journey had been.  Right as he finished talking, I saw L run back down toward the river, slip on a giant rock, and slam face-first into another large rock.  From how he hit, I knew he did some damage.  I started running toward him, and J turned around dazed.  He could tell from my expression that something was really wrong.  I picked L up like a baby and could see his mouth was full of blood.  In between cries, I saw that one of his top front teeth was twisted back into his mouth -- almost flat against the roof, and it looked like another tooth was completely missing. 

J was right behind me, so I handed L to him and started running home so I could call someone to help in case L needed medical attention.  Based on the amount of blood, I figured stitched were going to be in order.

Thankfully, J is as calm as a cucumber in circumstances such as these, and he had L spit out all the blood so he could get a closer look.  When L's mouth was clear, J discovered that both teeth were still in his mouth (just pushed against the top).  J put his thumb in between L's molars and had him bite down, and J repositioned both teeth.  L was SO BRAVE!!!! 

Meanwhile, I ran past a farmer and asked him to pick the family up in his truck since they were a good 20 minute walk from home.  When the farmer appeared, J declined the ride because he'd gotten L calmed down and in a comfortable position. 

When they got home, L was shaking a bit but was in fairly good spirits.  We showered quickly, and one of the mission directors took us into Turrialba for a doctor visit.  The doctor made sure L didn't have a concussion and examined his mouth thoroughly -- no stitches necessary -- and recommended we go to the dentist. 

At the dentist's office, the dentist praised J's work in repositioning the teeth (as the doctor had done, too), and took x-rays.  All seemed fine -- the dentist said the same thing our dentist in the US said after L damaged his other front tooth, that L will lose the teeth prematurely, but that it could be in a month or six months.  Last time it took a full 18 months, so we'll see . . . hopefully he'll keep them for as long as possible so his adult teeth have a better chance of coming in in the proper positions (and so he doesn't have to run around without three front teeth for the next two years). 

Both physicians also commented on how "valiente" (brave) L was, and he really was a trooper.  What an awesome boy we have!

Sidenotes:  In Costa Rica, there is a public heath care system.  Overall, the reports about the system aren't great -- long lines, inadequate care, outdated equipment, doctors without a lot of motivation to excel, etc.  Both medical facilities we visited were definitely dated.  The dentist's office was like something out of the 1950's and was not very clean.  The doctor's office was slightly more modern.  Both physicians were extremely friendly and willing to help -- they both stayed at work to receive us after hours -- and both offices charged us $40 for a visit. 

Anyone with money in CR goes to private hospitals, which, of course, employ the best doctors. 

L's mouth has healed up nicely.  Part of his gum is missing between the tooth teeth that were knocked back, but we are hoping that will regrow.  All the bruising is gone, and he didn't have any problems afterward with infections or too much pain.  He's experienced some bleeding and has been very, very careful to only chew on the right side of his mouth.  Cute, wonderful thing! 

 

About 25 minutes up the mountain from our first house --
getting ready to hike back down through the river.



Heading down toward the river --
Que bonito!! 

Notice the steps carved into the mud --
this is common on farms.

La primera catarata

Jumping off point

How many kids can say they slid
down a waterfall?

H after her plunge.

My turn :)

E finally worked up the courage.

I wish I would've counted all the waterfalls
we encountered on our decent.

Our fearless leader did a great job navigating!

We don't have any pics of L's fall or his teeth --- darn! 

Cucarachas

I finally researched the history of  "La Cucaracha," a song to which we all know the tune.  It's been on my mind for quite some time because whenever I spy a cockroach -- say when I open the silverware drawer and watch one climb over every fork and spoon or when I discover yet another new species (did you know they come in stripes?) or walk into a room and duck my head for fear that one will fall on me as it scurries from the light -- this song runs through my head.

I've been telling myself that whoever first wrote the lyrics did so out of self-preservation.  If one lives with roaches, surely finding a way to make light of the situation would help.  The internet didn't shed any light about the origin of the song, so I'm going to stick to my belief that someone, somewhere lived in a country/place/house filled with roaches and had to invent a way to live harmoniously with the disgusting little creatures :). 

We don't have any pictures of roaches -- the little suckers are too darn fast -- but we do have some of the other amazing bugs we've encountered here.  "Bichos" are on steroids here, that's for sure.  I'll get pictures posted soon so everyone can see their sizes, colors, etc.  It's really quite fascinating! 

Time to find the bug spray so I can go to bed . . .

P.S.  While typing this, my mind was thinking in Spanish most of the time.  So cool!  Maybe I'll do a post just in Spanish soon. 

Eating "grillos" (crickets -- are black and red and HUGE here) at
a church potluck.

I wish there were some way to show just how
big this spider is.

A close up of just how large the crickets are.  Wow!

Awesome leafcutters.  More about these cool guys in a previous post.



 

Week 12 -- Border Jump

Costa Rican visas only permit visitors to stay for 90 days before having to leave the country to 72 hours.  We are thankful for this rule because we ended up spending a wonderful three days in Bocas del Toro, Panama, in order to satisfy our visa requirements. 

Our children LOVE the beach, so Bocas was a great place to have a get-away.  We flew in a tiny plane from San Jose to Bocas and got to really see Costa Rica from a birds-eye view.  In reality, much of CR isn't inhabited; so much of the land is mountainous and difficult to maneuver, the population is concentrated in certain areas.  The views of the mountains and valleys and GREEN was breathtaking.  Just the flight in itself was amazing!

Our first day, we relaxed at Playa Estrella and were astounded by the number of starfish in the shallows.  We also took a short boat trip through a mangrove cave; on the trip back to the beach, the kids rode a hot dog, much to their delight.  L and E screamed, "Mas rapido!" again and again.  Poor H would retort, "NO!  Despacio!!" 

Futbol stadium from plane

Our itty-bitty aircraft



Pretty CR

High-flyin'

God's creation is amazing!

My boys

In Panama

Central American country #3 for the Jett kids

J and I loved this boat at the beach.

E looking for starfish.



L breaking the rules and touching a starfish.



How many starfish can you count in this picture?

So cool!

Headed into the mangrove cave.

 

 

On the second day, we went out to Coral Caye to snorkel.  E is a fish and could snorkel for hours, if we let her.  L swam around like a natural, too.  We saw lots of beautiful creatures,  including several different types of jellyfish, and were wishing our underwater camera hadn't gotten stolen. 

After snorkeling, Jimmy fished for a bit on our way to Red Frog Beach.  He caught a barracuda!  At the beach, the kids played in the awesome waves; the red frogs eluded us.  However, when our boat returned for us, our guide led us into the woods and turned over leaves and looked in many crevices until he spotted some of the tiny frogs for us.  Way cool!

That night, we had another amazing animal adventure -- we walked Bluff Beach with a guide and were fortunate enough to watch a Hawksbill sea turtle lay her eggs and return to the ocean.  The group providing the tours does so in an effort to protect the three varieties of sea turtles that return to this beach every year -- giant leatherbacks, green sea turtles, and hawksbills.  After the eggs were laid (almost 130, golf-ball sized), the volunteers moved the eggs to a new nest so locals couldn't follow the turtle's tracks and steal her eggs.  On our hour walk down the beach, we walked past a leatherback turtle's tracks from the previous night -- wow, they were huge!!  The nest was giant, as well, and it's amazing to think about these fascinating creatures God created and how he put in them this ability to find "home" to lay their eggs.  We couldn't take pictures of the turtle, so hopefully I'll find something on the internet to show how large the turtle was . . .

This kid -- E -- could spend hours exploring the underwater world.

y Luke tambien!

H was a little more cautious and disturbed by the jellyfish.

A pic from above water doesn't do this justice!

Our little fish!

Several parrots were hanging out near the beach. 
There was another pair, too.

Fishing

J's barracuda!



E took this great pic!

Red Frog Beach Lookout

H took this pic.

Taking a break from the waves. 

These guys are tiny -- no wonder we had a hard time finding them.



After the beach adventures, the kids swam in the pool.
J and L went kayaking and tried to
catch fish with a handmade fishing pole and
some crabs they caught on the beach.

From the internet:

                              

 

Our final day, we relaxed at the beach again.  For the first hour or so, J rented a traditional Panamanian boat, carved out of a solid piece of wood, and tooled around with the kids trying to catch fish.  Then, J and E patiently fished in the mangroves and finally caught a snapper.  What a prize!  Had we had more time, we would've had one of the beach restaurants cook the fish, but our time was up and it started pouring rain, so the little guy got "off the hook." 

Oohing and ahhing over the turtle fountain at our hotel.

J trying to figure out how to balance in this boat.



Fun with dad!

Patient fishermen

E hatched a plan to throw the line right into the mangroves.

Meanwhile, H and L "made coffee" with sand.

E's plan worked!

Proud fishermen!

Our cuties at a restaurant the last night.

The flight home . . . what a great trip!

Looking back, these pictures don't do Bocas del Toro justice.  It was overcast a lot of the time, so the clarity and brilliance of the water is hard to discern from photos.  It was beautiful!